SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Just a few weeks ago, CF Montreal was still in laboratory mode. We were always looking for a starting XI and the playoffs were a dream that we entertained with more hope than conviction.
For five games, the recovery has been complete.
So much so that we wonder if we will see Lionel Messi in Montreal again before the end of the year. With two games to play, the chances of seeing the Montreal XI in the playoffs are estimated at more than 80%.
As announced
No one embodies this recovery better than Josef Martinez. In mid-August, Laurent Courtois implied that he had been betrayed by the Venezuelan attacker. At the beginning of September, Gabriel Gervais challenged him to deliver the goods on the ground.
Whether by burying the hatchet, finding the right tactical scheme or giving him stable partners in attack (Caden Clark and Bryce Duke), we finally found the winning recipe to maximize his contribution.
His five goals in three games bring his total to ten for the season. He is only the second Montreal striker in six seasons to pass the ten-goal mark in the same campaign (Romell Quioto scored 15 in 2022).
The more matches went by, the more the $1.3 million he pocketed seemed like a windfall. The season would probably be ruined if it weren’t for its emergence at the end of the campaign.
To each his own
With a minimum of two goals scored in its last five outings, the Montreal attack is running pretty well. However, it could move into a whole new dimension with a better contribution from Bryce Duke.
His ease with the ball and the quantity of balls he touches tend to camouflage a lack of quality where it counts, in the attacking third.
In 2023, Hernan Losada lamented the poor offensive statistics of his No. 10. A year later, his last pass remains too often disappointing. Especially when he’s not under pressure.
Against lower-ranked teams, Duke’s lack of contribution does not have a serious impact. The situation will be very different in the playoffs if the Montrealers reach them.
Leo back?
If they maintain their 8th place in the last two matches, Courtois’ men will qualify for the play-off match. For the moment, this match would be played at Stade Saputo. A great reward for supporters who have been there all season.
It’s after this play-off match that things get really interesting.
If the Montreal XI were to emerge victorious, it is Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami who would be waiting for them in the first round for a best-of-three series (new in MLS since last year).
The first duel has already been set by MLS. In order to give as much visibility as possible to its Florida jewel, this will be the only match played on Friday October 25. It is therefore in the week of October 28 that we would see Messi and his gang again in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve for the second time of the year.
I know, I know… the skin, the bear etc. etc…
After a rollercoaster season, you’ll forgive me for contemplating what would be a memorable fall of soccer in the metropolis.
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